The Scientists and Employees associations of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council Tuesday demanded immediate meetings of the National Assembly and Senate Committees’ on National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) to devise comprehensive strategy to frustrate the land-grabbing move of Capital Development Authority (CDA).
The PARC Scientists Association (PARSA) and Employees Association PARC (EAPARC) held a protest demonstration on Park Road and blocked the traffic to press their demands and urged the government not to victimise the agriculture sector at the cost of housing societies. The protesters were chanting the slogans including “No Compromise on NARC”, “Convene early meeting of Standing Committees, “damn with land mafia” etc.
Speaking on the occasion, the PARSA President, Dr. Altaf Sher said that the establishment of a housing society on NARC land would be a murder of agriculture sector, which has been contributing 24 per cent to National GDP and employing 45 per cent of the country’s labour force.
He said that more than forty precious years have been spent on development of this world-standard research center, and if dismantled, it would perhaps take eighty years to develop it to the existing stage.
He said that the centre has been established with the financial assistance of foreign agriculture organizations and donors, adding that currently about nine international organisations have offices in the NARC premises.
Speaking on the occasion, EAPARC Chairman, Rana Maqsood urged the scientists to unite for the cause as the agriculture was an important sector of the country’s economy, and was feeding 200 million people. EAPARC President, Chaudhry Jahangir, said that this was high time that the agriculture scientists of the country sent a strong message to the government to stop development of housing societies at the cost of agriculture sector.
